The first time I made an ashtray, my mom loved it.

Last week’s firing yielded some of the best ohata kaki red pots I’ve made so far. The glaze surfaces continue to dazzle the eyes and I’m doing some bigger, more ambitious forms now. The above cookie jar was actually promoted and sold via Facebook. I had posted photos of these jars as I made them and a local Facebook friend dropped by the studio and purchased it just a day after I rolled out the kiln. That’s proof that social networking sites can be used to successfully market one’s work! You can friend me on Facebook by searching for “Tom Edwards, Evergreen, CO”. I try to post something interesting just about every day, and every so often I share pictures of my work in progress:

There are a slew of new items in the Ohata Kaki Red section of my online store: beer steins, one of a kind serving bowls, creamer and sugar bowl sets, ice cream bowls, and even an ashtray. I thought it was kind of funny to get back to my roots and make an ashtray (the very first thing I made on the wheel in high school was used as an ashtray at our house), but I’ve received some criticism for making this horrible item. Fair enough. I’m not a big fan of cigarettes, either, and I’m hoping this doesn’t make people boycott my work in protest. You know, public health realities aside, it is a really nice looking ashtray!